1997 Pontiac Grand Prix

XOBRITTNEYOX721

MEMBER
1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX

1997 Pontiac Grand Prix All Wheel Drive Automatic 140000 miles

It was driving fine on the way to the grocery, but when I stopped at Mcdonald's to get a tea, it started acting really weird as I was waiting. It was making a loud whoosing noise and it started to run really hot. Then the battery light came on and the SRS Airbag light was flashing on and off. Then the ABS light came on. I live less than a mile away so I drove home. The car wouldn't go any faster than 20 mph. My driveway is on a steep hill so when I tried to drive in the driveway, it wouldn't go. I had to put it in first to get up the driveway. Everytime I hit the gas the lights would get really bright on the inside and out. I had my boyfriend check it out and he said that the fans weren't spinning. What's wrong with my poor car?

1 Reply

MATHIASO

MECHANIC
1,209 POSTS

I suspect the charging system .
Charging problems can be caused by electrical faults in the charging system itself, by poor wiring connections at the battery or elsewhere, or by a slipping or broken drive belt. If there is no charging output, the battery will quickly discharge. You may have 20 minutes to an hour of driving time before everything goes dead and the vehicle shuts down.that is what happens.
Once battery voltage drops below a certain threshold, the onboard electronics, ignition and fuel systems may stop working normally and cause the engine to stall. The battery will not have enough reserve power to restart the engine, so the vehicle will be stranded until the problem can be diagnosed and repaired
First, check the condition of the belt,

Push down on the belt same as the dark arrow in the picture on the span. if the belt sinks /dip down without resistance against your finger,that mean your belt is lose and should be change.if the belt is good, then your alternator is bad.

Replace aternator , recharge the battery and your car should run fine.
let me know how your car is running.